A tale about the Force
by DrippySoap
Summary: Kir left everything behind to save the only thing that makes him happy and after losing it the nightmare begins. Now the galaxy and the Force are in danger. Disclaimer: sorry for bad english. The characters presented in the story are original except for Master Sunrider. Have a blast reading it!
1. Chapter One: Venture into the lion's den

**Chapter One: Venture into the lion's den**

Kir Bain had been having some bad nights, he had nightmares and strange dreams. In all of them he saw himself consumed in hatred and madness. In each nightmare, he could hear a deep voice that rumbled deep in his head. It was a voice never heard before, but a feeling of nuisance appeared every time it spoke. Kir immediately knew what he should do, and why he was having those dreams. The voice was making Camille suffer and feel a terrible pain, and she was the only person outside the Jedi Temple in his life.

Kir and Camille met when they were little. Their parents were good friends, because both were spices merchants in Kessel. Kir always liked Camille, but he never told her about his feelings. Besides, when the Jedi took Kir to the temple, their fantasies of being always together vanished for ever. However, he always used his free time in the Temple to call her in secret. Kir slept alone, so, on many occasions they spent the whole night talking. The distance and the rules of the Jedi Temple were never an impediment for their friendship to move forward. That night he felt that Camille needed him.

It was not the first time that Kir got by the disastrous safety of the Temple. Many times, he walked through the streets of Coruscant. He loved seeing the lives of people who didn't have to follow so many rules. He was barely twenty years old and he had only visited around five planets. He didn't like the life he had, he always thought about how everything would have been if he had stayed in Kessel. How everything would have been if he had not the ability to control and to feel the Force.

He evaded the guards who watched the dormitories of the padawans. He thought that it would not matter if he was caught. He was twenty years old and the only Master he had left him after a year of unsuccessful trainings. It was obvious that he would end up in the Agricultural Corps or maybe getting expelled, so why not speeding up the process? But he would not waste his time feeling how Camille suffered. Maybe he was not the best Jedi, but the Force was showing him something.

Kir got into the hangar of the Temple without any problem. Then, he stole one of the fighters reserved only for the Jedi Masters, an old X-wing. He was able to reach space without any problem. After hitching the stolen ship in a special module, Kir jumped into the speed of light in the direction to Kessel, leaving behind the Jedi temple, where he never felt linked to.

It was a quiet flight despite all the images that did not stop torturing him. It was like a brainstorm of dark thoughts. Even if he tried to meditate in the cockpit the images of Camille suffering appeared in his mind. It was terrible to see what he was seeing. All those images were unbearable.

Luckily, it was not long until he arrived at his home in Kessel. And once there, he ran to Camille's house, where his nightmares took place. There was a strange calm in the atmosphere. Kir was unable to perceive anything and everything seemed destined for a tragedy. It was getting dark, the rays of light that were projected on the windows and objects produced sinister shadows. Kir was getting into Camille's home and he was wearing his heart in his sleeve. It was like if he had forgotten everything about the self-control stuff that he had learned in the Jedi Temple.

But it was when he arrived at Camille's house when he realized that all his fears, all the nightmares he had had and all the terror that had haunted him had became true.  
In the room was Camille's body. Her eyes were open, and she was hanging on her wrist from the ceiling. The expression on her face reflected the suffering she had until she exhaled her last breath. The lifeless body was swinging gently and Kir was paralyzed. He remembered the last time he talked to her and it was two weeks ago. At that moment, he only wished she hadn't suffered all that time.

"She was an easy prey, will you be another one, Jedi scum?" It was the same voice that sounded in his nightmares, but then it sounded much louder in his head. He knew he had fallen into a trap. Kir tried to move but he knew that a Lord Sith was using the Force to control him. He could see lightsaber marks on Camille's body. "She shouted your name while killing her, something beautiful, I thought the Jedis were eunuched, although I think she was not very interested in you".

Hate and anger took control of Kir's actions. He was able to get rid of the mental control the Sith was exercising on him. When he turned, he could see an Ithorian that had deep yellow eyes. His long, curved neck seemed to be pointing at him and his two mouths outlined a defiant smile. He seemed to be enjoying the situation.

The Sith had no time to turn on his lightsaber, Kir had already jumped into him. The first thing he did was to cut off his arms and legs, making the ithorian a helpless creature. Not only he killed the Sith in a ruthless way, but he could also feel like he was consuming the whole essence of the Sith, his connection with the Force now belonged to Kir. He took his life by dealing more than two hundred strokes but also in the process of madness Kir consumed the essence that united the Sith with the Force. That kind of ability had not been explained in his classes in the Temple. Kir felt that if she had not seen her friend's dead body, he would never have done such a thing.

When he finished, the body was nothing more than a burned and holey mass, and something reverberated in Kir's head, "Go to Mustafar, look for Darth Sinû ..."


	2. Chapter two: father and son reunion

**Chapter Two: Father and child reunion.**

It is your duty finding him and bringing him back. He was your padawan for a whole year, you know him better than any of us. — Said gravely Master Sunrider. — That is the decision of the council. And that will be.

"But Master, please listen to me… " replied Master Stanod

"No excuses Stanod, Kir was able to avoid the Temple's security, steal a fighter and going to Kessel." The Master's tone began to rise as she spoke. "He didn't consider the locator."

"Well, you said it, I know Kir better than anyone. I know he is a lost cause. Although he is a Force-user, he was not born to be a Jedi, not even to work in the AgroCorps."

"Fine, but this is not your decision. You will go after him and you will bring him back alive. He must be judge by the council. That's an order."

"Fine."Said Stanod while he turned around.

"By the way Master Stanod" Said Master Sunrider.

"Anything else?" Replied Stanod

"Be safe. And may the Force be with you."

"May the force be with you." said back Stanod.

He was very angry with the decision of the Council, and the leader Sunrider had noticed that anger. His relationship with Kir ended badly and both knew it. It was a very difficult year for Stanod. Kir and Stanod had opposite personalities and because of that it was difficult from the beginning. Stanod was a modest human, he wasn't the best of the Jedi, he wasn't even on the council, but he was a person who respected the rules. He was a responsible guy who worked hard to become a Master. His life had been simple until he was assigned to train Kir, the only person who had managed to get him mad. All the orders that Stanod gave to Kir were questioned. Kir was an impulsive and undisciplined kid, not to mention the relationship he maintained at distance with the girl from Kessel. Stanod didn't know if they were just friends or something more, he just knew that the attachment he felt for her was dangerous. The night before the last mission they did together, Kir spent much of the night talking with that girl. The next day, not only he did not obey correctly Stanod's orders, but Kir also almost got them killed. They had a very strong discussion and Stanod told him very bad things. He did not see him again after renouncing him as a Padawan and now he had to look for him somewhere in the galaxy.

Stand followed the instructions that Master Sunrider gave him and checked the locator beacon that all the ships of the temple had. According to the on-board computer, Kir was in Kessel, his homeplanet and where his friend Camille lived. The place that his former Padawan choose didn't surprise Stanod. He must bring Kir back alive, but he didn't know why he left the Temple, so Stanod prepared for the worst, according to what he knew of Kir. Deep down he wanted it to be an easy mission in which a teenager left everything behind to be with the person he loved, or a case of a Padawan who missed his family, it was not the first case and it would not be the last one. But the Force told him it wasn't going to be that easy. Stanod felt a disturbance that bristled every hair on his body.

It took very little to reach Kessel. He went to north, to the mining area that Kir talked so much about. He landed the ship near an urbanization designed for miners. In that area he could feel the presence of the Force. But there was something strange. All he was able to perceive was a deep pit of sorrow. It was something similar to what he felt at the presence of a Sith. He prepared his lightsaber for a possible fight. He approached the pit of sadness as if it was a black hole, because even if he tried, he wouldn't have been able to escape.

He ended up arriving at one of the houses of the urbanization. The area seemed completely empty. The house had the patio door open and trough it, he slipped inside and entered the living room. The smell of rotten flesh invaded the entire room and he could hear the cries and moaning's of a creature. Stanod advanced little by little until he could see his old Padawan on the floor. He had lost weight, and in his arms, he was cradling a girl's death body. She was in a beginning state of decay, but Kir still held her in his arms while caressing a strand of hair. Stanod took a general look and the other part of the room had a mass of burned meat. Stanod lit his lightsaber.

–I've come to take you back to the temple, Kir — said Stanod with a tremulous voice.

The boy turned around, and his eyes, which were completely red now, stared his old Master's eyes.

The boy's sight seemed to have lost part of his humanity. He seemed to have succumbed to the power of the dark side, possibly after the death of his friend. However, Stanod felt that the corpse Kir was holding had been killed by another creature. He felt pity for his ex-Padawan, and he understood the state he was in. But Stanod had received a clear order and he would return the boy alive. He saw that the boy had his lightsaber nearby and with an elegant movement he tried to remove it to avoid a possible fight. But it was impossible. There was a power much greater than his. He could not move the weapon. Was it Kir who was blocking Stanod's Force?

The boy left the girl's body gently on the floor. He stroked her hair one last time. He stood up and sprinted directly to Stanod. It was such a quick action that the Jedi Master barely had time to react. They were face to face for quite some time. For a long time, they said nothing. The boy's hateful face remained and seemed to be judging his former Master with disapproval. The boy seemed to know something that Stanod didn't know. The silence was beginning to be awkward and it was Stanod the one who broke it.

"You must accompany me. You have violated the rules of the Temple and you must be judged" Said Stanod with a firm voice. "Do not make it more complicated, please."

Stand only received silence. The boy continued staring at him, very close to his face. His red eyes were hypnotic. Stanod seemed resisting the effect of some mental trick. He tried to take the lightsaber from his belt, but the boy's gaze was too powerful and Stanod could barely move. His legs began to lose their strength and he ended up kneeling in front of his old Padawan. As an old and repentant father who must apologize to his son on his deathbed, Stanod felt vulnerable. Kir took his head and put his forehead next to his. It was as cold as the Hoth glaciers. His hands were squeezing his head hard. Little by little, he felt his senses going out, the connection with the Force was slowly disappearing.

"I will not take it all, be quiet. But I'm not going to accompany you to Coruscant, Master." Kir's voice was distant, as if they were in a dream, Stanod's eyes began to close. "I will find him, Darth Sinû must pay for this, must pay for what he have done."

Stanod passed out before his old Padawan finished the sentence. Between dreams he saw how the boy took the corpse of his friend and how he left the house behind. He slept a couple of hours in which he felt only slight calls from the Force. He woke up weak and with his senses still a little blind. But he returned as quickly as he could back to the Jedi Temple. There he explained all the details from the encounter with Kir and, he mentioned to the Master Sunrider the name of Darth Sinû. It was the name of an ancient Sith legend. He spoke of a Sith who learned to master a technique that consisted of draining the connection that creatures had with the Force, thus becoming more and more powerful. The legend said that by draining the connection with the Force of Siths and Jedis Sinû eventually lost his body. The legend concluded by saying that its essence was now trapped in the Sith Cave of Mustafar. It was certainly something strange and Master Sunrider decided to keep this mission a secret.


	3. Chapter Three: Back to the ashes, Lord

**Chapter Three: Back to the ashes, Lord.**

Navigating through his thoughts, one could hardly distinguish something clear. Did he kill his Master? No, he was sure of that. But how much time had he spent with his friend's corpse in his arms? There was something going through his body that he couldn't understand in the brief moments of lucidity he had. He was thirsty. But it was not liquid what his body was asking for. It was something much bigger, something that had not been explained in the Jedi Temple. And little by little it was inevitably taking over his being. Kir was barely in control of himself, and little by little he was disappearing.

He crawled back to the ship he had stolen a few days ago. He knew that they were following him. All the ships of the Temple had a beacon attached, but it was indifferent to him. He had to fight in the brief moments of lucidity he enjoyed against something much bigger than the Jedi or the Sith. He must fight against himself, and he must fight against Camille's death.

From time to time he returned to the catatonic state in which the voice he had heard in the house spoke to him: "Go to Mustafar, look for my essence and together we will revive your friend, she will be with you forever." The voice seemed to know what Kir wanted to hear. Among the shadows in his thoughts, since he saw the corpse of his friend hanging from the ceiling, the voice seemed to be a guide, something to lean on.

In the time he spent on the ship, he tried to meditate, search among what he had learned all those years, but the voice was getting stronger. He did not pay attention to the electronic components of the X-wing and he programmed the autopilot mode. The rest of the trip was spent watching the decomposing body of his friend. The smell invaded the cabin, but Kir didn't seem to notice. Although she kept her eyes, the basins seemed empty. Kir was unable to recognize her, and in a moment of lucidity, he cried.

Kir's stolen ship arrived at Mustafar, as the voice asked for. The view was bleak. The surface of the planet trembled every so often and the ground was so hot. The heat made Kir's body begin to sweat. Although it was night when he arrived, Kir landed near a lava river that lit the area. Some lava fleas approached the boy's ship. "Get away from where you are. Find the ashes near the Sith Cave. Follow me and you two will be together forever." And just as the voice asked, Kir searched for the Sith Cave. And it didn't take long to find it. Everything flowed according to someone's plan and so, Kir began to look for something or someone whose appearance was unknown.

"Leave your friend's body at the entrance of the cave and wait for my instructions, everything will soon make sense to you" And just as the voice asked, he left the body at the entrance. Kir waited and waited but his friend did not get up. Until as if someone pulls it, the body entered the cave. Kir tried to follow Camille's body but the voice ordered him to wait outside and he did. The smell of sulfur invaded Kir's pituitary. He had a knot in his stomach, he didn't want anything else but hearing the voice of the girl who kept him sane all those years in the Jedi Temple.

But as if it were a nightmare, Kir's journey seemed not to end. A growl was heard inside the cave and an object was shot straight at Kir. It hit his chest and the fell to the ground, it hurt him a lot, but it hurt a lot more to see that it was Camille's head. From the ground their open eyes seemed to have won the humanity they had lost. They looked at Kir with sorrow and disappointment, as if she felt bad about the situation in which Kir was. "It's time for you to enter the cave, Kir. It's time for you to be reborn."

And as if he was hypnotized, Kir began to walk. He left his friend's head behind and with her he also left his old being behind, knowing that entering that cave was going to be a journey of no return. The place was dark and smelled less strong than outside. In that place the limits between his state of lucidity and madness disappeared. Kir heard laughs in the shadows and felt creatures watching him, more fleas of lava or maybe a roggwart, frailly, at that moment any of that really mattered. He seemed to have lost his will. He wasn't even surprised when he felt a bite on his back. Kir couldn't see what it was, but it felt like little by little everything was getting even darker. He stopped listening to the laugh. Lying on his stomach he felt the creature resting on his back, he seemed to weigh a ton because he was unable to move. "Do not resist me, you will soon take your first breath for the second time" And immediately felt as the creature began to devour him alive.


	4. Chapter Four: A walk through the past

**Chapter Four: A walk through the past.**

Stanod had no idea what he would find once he got to Mustafar. Master Sunrider gave him very clear instructions before leaving for the first time, bringing Kir back, but he failed and now the mission's objective was slightly different. He should bring Kir alive, they wanted to judge him and observe what changes he had suffered in order to exert damage such as he had inflicted on Stanod, but in the case of resisting, he should end his old Padawan's life without hesitation.

He still had some time while they were setting up his ship, so he decided to see Kir's room, there maybe he would find some useful information or something to hold on to if there were any negotiating moments. The room was the same as the rest of Padawans, modestly decorated and with a single bed. There were books and notes lying on the floor, it was very messy. Among all the filth, Stanod found a communicator, something forbidden for the Padawans, with that Kir spoke with that murdered girl who cradled in Kessel. The man then wondered if his actions as Master led them to the point where they were now. Once again it was his job to save Kir. But this time he felt no frustration but guilt.

He also remembered his days as Padawan, the fear that everyone felt about ending up in the AgroCorps, that fear was not felt by Kir. Throughout all the missions they did together, Stanod could see that there was something special about that boy, something that was not in the other students of the Temple. But it was not something positive, it was a kind of apathy that was reflected in the decisions he made. The only thing that seemed to keep him alive and safe were his nightly conversations with Camille. Kir believed he was able to fool the Masters, but everyone knew what he did at night. But they were very permissive with him and maybe that's why they were now in that situation.

"Do you find what you are looking for, Master Stanod?" A young togruta seemed very interested in Stanod's labor, she was one of the Padawans living there.

"Yes, but finding it is harder than what I thought, do not worry."

"I would like to help you, but I am afraid it is too late, your ship is ready Master, Yosh sends me."

"Oh, thank you." Stanod smiled and waved good bye . "May the force be with you."

"May the force be with you Master" replied sweetly the little togruta while Stanod disappeared in the way to Hangar C.

Once there he approached the mechanic who had put his Delta-7B ready. He thanked him and asked if he had any trouble getting to Mustafar.

"Well Master, the Jedis are the ones who can foresee the future not me. But if I must give you a clear answer: it all depends on the storms of the planets. And we have received news that it will be clear upon arrival." The rodian cleaned his hands "I have also programmed the ship according to Master Sunrider's coordinates.

"Once again, thank you very much Yosh. "Stanod said.

And leaving behind the temple and Coruscant, Stanod dock his ship to the hyperdrive ring. In just a fraction of a second, he jumped into hyper space and with an eye on Mustafar and the future that awaited him, he used the trip to take a walk through the past.


	5. Chapter five: following a dead-end

**Chapter Five: Following a dead-end. **

Mustafar floated like a big red rock in the vastness of space. From his ship Stanod could feel the cries of suffering from thousands of creatures. In fact, the planet itself seemed to be screaming in anguish. Of course, that was not the favorite place of the Jedi to be, but he had to be there. He had to go there and try to save his old Padawan, he didn't want to get to the point of having to kill him, but of course it was a possibility and he already got used to the idea of it.

Master Sunrider gave him all the details he needed. This was a very delicate case and should act as widely and discrete as possible. It was not something that had ever been seen before and Sunrider took advantage of his status as leader of the Jedi council to make the decision without following the protocol. Everything that happened on the planet would be just between Sunrider and Stanod. Stanod knew that he was not lying, but the fact that he was hiding the truth to the Jedi Council caused him anguish and a sense of discomfort that he was unable to control by meditating.

And after a while spinning around the planet's orbit, Stanod descended to the surface. The smell of sulfur was intense and there was a calm in the air that gave him goosebumps. He landed near the Sith Cave. He could feel Kir's presence, but he felt something else, that presence looked more like a footprint in the snow. He was late. Kir was no longer on the planet. He was gone shortly before he arrived here. Stanod felt that something had changed in Kir.

Kir's trail led Stanod to the entrance of the cave and there the trail of his Padawan disappeared. As if it were a threshold to another world, he put the first foot inside. "You can do this, you can do this, Master Sunrider has put full confidence on you, don't let the fear paralyze you." Those words echoed in his head and slowly he calmed down. He could not let the situation dominate him, he could not let the Cave win the battle. "Kir is no longer on the planet, everything you will see and feel inside the Cave is the dark side trying to test you." But Stanod saw nothing, just heard noises that seemed very distant. He distinguished moans of pain, but they were different from those he felt from the ship, they were much closer. The inside of the cave smelled damp, but at least the sulfur did not overwhelm its sense of smell. Stanod moved slowly, but soon he became economical with something soft in his path.

He took his lightsaber and turned it on. The electric blue light illuminated the cave slightly. On the walls could be seen ancient inscriptions, those were in a language that Stanod did not know. There were also scratches on the walls, as if someone had succumbed to madness. Among all the strange things he could see thanks to the the low light emitted by his lightsaber, Stanod saw at his feet, Kir's body lying in the ground. Stanod covered his mouth with his unoccupied hand. He could not believe he had come that late. He had lost the opportunity to save a young man, who although somewhat crazy and messy, had no evil, and all because of his inefficiency in Kessel.

He inspected the body of the boy who was lying on his side. There was no trace of any kind of fight on his face, he seemed to have died quietly. Then, before taking him in his arms to take him back to Coruscant he looked to the boy's back. And there he saw that something was wrong. He had a very deep wound. It looked like the bite of a beast with huge jaws. The area around the wound was necrotic and the blood was still dripping. But it was too late to try to do something for the boy. He was not breathing and his body, now completely pale because of all the blood he had lost, was an empty vessel. Stanod turned off his lightsaber and took the Kir's body. He was incredibly light, he seemed to be just carrying what was left of his clothes and a couple of tools.

And so Stanod undid his steps to leave the Sith Cave. He advanced quite quickly despite being carrying the body of a large boy. But he knew something was wrong and he needed the advice of the Master Sunrider. That necrotic wound looked very strange and the fact that Kir's body weighed so little was suspicious. He had the urgent need to get out of there. Then the moans of the cave seemed to be more intense than before. Stanod accelerated the rhythm, in the distance he could see a reddish light coming from outside. Without realizing it, he was soon running, and a few meters from the exit. And in the same way as at the beginning of the cave, he was finally able to put a foot on the burning surface of Mustafar, and outside the Sith Cave.

And as his entire body left the cave behind something happened Stanod's his arms. As soon as the boy's body left the Sith Cave, it disappeared. Stanod was perplexed, he did not know where the fantasy caused by the dark side ended and where reality began. In addition, the only thing that disappeared from his arms was the Kir's body, his clothes did not go anywhere. Were the wounds on his back the result of the terror Stanod felt in the cave? "Talk to Master Sunrider, right now you have nothing to hold on to, your mission is to take Kir back, alive or dead. Ad you don't have a body to bring back"

And in this way, he returned to his ship. He felt much hotter than before and had to tie his hair with a ponytail. The presence of the dark side of the force felt more powerful than before entering the cave, as if something was ending the very unstable equilibrium of the universe. Stanod tried to contact the Master Sunrider, but it was impossible to establish a strong connection. So, he could only issue a report explaining the situation and trust that it would somehow reach Coruscant. Then Stanod was stranded in Mustafar without knowing what his next destination would be, so he did what he always did when he felt lost, meditate. He contacted the Force and tried to get some of its messages.


	6. Chapter six: inside the nightmare

**Chapter Six: Inside the nightmare.**

"Take a better look. Now everything is ours, we have everything in our favor. The beginning and the end. And it is all thanks to you, my dearest Kir. Do not be afraid, you do not know that you have had a long trip, but you have always been everything I needed. And in the future, in a long time they will look at you and they will understand what you are, we will be part of something much bigger. We know. I know you feel it just like me. "

" Where we are? Where we are going, who are you? "

"Do not resist, do not make a Force wall in between us, we cannot leave this until we are able to merge. Leave your body consciousness behind, now you have a different relationship with the force"

"Where is she? Why she had to die"

"My dearest Kir, you will soon understand that the concepts of living and dying are something we must leave behind. You have blurred that line. That she died once was necessary for you to come to me, but I cannot assure you that you will never see her again. Knock down the wall that stands between us and then we will be able get out of here. We will able to leave this never-ending prison!"

And so did Kir. Although the instructions given by the voice in his head were confusing, he was able to make a final effort and knocked down that wall that protected him from everything he feared. It was a wall that he had built long ago. And Kir also understood that this wall was built by all living beings.

At first, he resisted, but finally the wall collapsed and what was on the other side were a succession of images that seemed completely real, but only a few were. What was once complete darkness now were bright lights that stunned Kir's vision. He tried to see his body but looking down all he saw were more bright lights. He saw his bed in Kessel, was stained with pee and could see himself sleeping, in the room there was a huge Wampa watching over his dream, at his side were the dead bodies of his parents. He remembered that nightmare. Then he saw Camille, as a child, she had an innocent childish smile, but soon turned around and seemed to run away from Kir. The next thing he saw was the temple, he was in the showers a towel covered his intimate parts and it was his turn to get in, in front of the rest. Tests, questions, pressure imposed by the Masters. Sailing nights without receiving a response from his friend. And a whole year with Stanod, a whole year to be judged. Other people were going to decide their future. But at least it was a familiar face. Cold but safe. Failure. And everything ended when he was holding Camille's body. Everything went black again.

"Drop the body, we are finally close. Realize that she is not really her my dearest Kir. It's time you finally met me."

And again, Kir obeyed the voice. He released the body and it fell into a void that he did not understand from above or below. And after that Kir saw his face reflected in a mirror.

"Take your lightsaber, tear down the last part of the wall. End what has always been holding you back. Kill Kir."

With an elegant and fast movement Kir nailed the lightsaber in the mirror. And as if it were a heavy snowfall, millions of small pieces of the mirror began to float in the void. They moved at an incredibly slow speed, Kir didn't worry about a possible cut, he understood that where he was, he would not suffer any harm. Among the pieces of the mirror he saw a creature. It was incredibly small and moved much faster than crystals. It was almost impossible to follow his movement. His flight was graceful, and he left behind a beautiful trail of crystals that moved accompanying his dance in the void. Soon Kir could see his face, it was something he had never seen, something that was not in any book and something that was impossible to describe with the language of mortal creatures. Kir thought for the last time in the Jedi temple, Stanod and Camille. He thought about how his life would have been if he had been a better Jedi. He felt guilt.

"Do not feel any guilt my dearest Kir will soon be one, and we will take The Force from the universe. It is time for your consciousness to finally disappear and be just one"

He realized where they were. Making use of his last moment being Kir he gathered all the concentration he could and sent a message in the void hoping it would reach Stanod's ears.

"Meet me in Geonosis"

And sending that last message to the infinity of the universe, Kir died.


	7. Chapter 7:The son, the father, the force

**Chapter Seven: The son, the father and the Force. **

"Cover me Kir, I will go that way and when I will capture Liamulis's bodyguards and then you will join me." Stanod gave that instruction to Kir. It was an easy mission and Stanod was following the Council's instructions.

"But Master, I don't think that's a good an idea, you are much bigger than me, you will get noticed." Kir replied

"Obey me Kir. Would you be able to do it once in your life?"Stanod's tone rose even though it was a mission where they had to keep discretion. He also realized how boor his tone was. "Sorry Kir, but please do exactly what I said. Wait until you hear my sign. May the Force be with you."

"Okay Master." Kir yawned while his Master went to catch the bodyguards.

The council had assigned that mission to both because it was simple. The goal was to strengthen ties between both, they did not have the best relationship of the Jedi Temple and the Masters thought that such a mission would unite them a little. They had to catch and take a slave trader alive. It had a small army of twenty men, and most had been badly injured after an attack by a rival band. The Jedi council had kept track of the group of smugglers and they discovered that they were settled in Geonosis

It was not difficult for Stanod to inflict himself among the four guards that were guarding the entrance of the hideout. With rapid and stealthy movements, he immobilized and covered their mouths so they would not alert the other bodyguards. It was a mission that had to be completed with the least number of death so in order to avoid a possible fight Stanod ordered Kir not to use the lightsaber.

While he finished tying the last of the men at the first door, he watched how Kir rose from the hiding place. He had not yet made the signal and Stanod gestured with his hand telling Kir to hide again. He seemed visibly tired and it was as if he did not understand what the Master wanted to say. They were going to discover him, Kir was on a path that had no coverage. It was obvious that they would see him from inside the hideout.

Stanod felt movement inside and seconds before it happened, he lit his lightsaber. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a rifle peeking out of one of the windows and pointing in the direction of his Padawan. Everything happened very fast, with the lightsaber lit, he jumped in the direction of Kir and using the Force deflected the shot. He had time to look down on his student. Then, a flurry of shots began to fly over Padawan and Master. Kir was slow with reflexes and could barely deflect them. Fortunately, he was with Stanod who protected him despite the disappointment he felt for his student. They were at a chokepoint and trying to flee would have meant his death.

"When they stop to recharge run to take s cover and this time obey me, please" Stanod shouted.

"But Master…"

"DO IT! NOW!" While shouting, Stanod was touched by a laser shot in the shoulder.

With the arm that had not been injured he kept stopping the laser shots. And he took a brief truce that was given by traffickers to push Kir behind the rock with the Force. Stanod continued stopping the shots they were receiving. What at first had been a simple mission to improve ties between them had become a possible deadly trap.

Fortunately, slave traders had to stop to reload. And instant before doing so, Stanod had already hidden himself next to his Padawan behind the rock. He inspected his shoulder to see the severity of the wound, but it was only superficial. Although it scotched enough, and it would leave a nice scar. Stanod didn't even look at Kir, but he could feel his restlessness and even a little regret. But the relationship between them had not improved those days and he also felt that he could not trust him.

"Okay Kir, did you see what happen when you don't obey me?" Stanod saw how Kir yawned a little "So another night that you spent talking to that girl right? You almost goy us killed. Damn, can you listen to me and pay ATTENTION?"

"Yes Master, sorry master." But Kir didn't feel those words. Obviously, he was worried, but he just wanted to come back to Coruscant and rest.

"No, you don't really care about this situation. If we survive, we will talk in Coruscant." Stanod was disappointed and angry "I want you to know that because of you a man who traffics with people that end up being slaves will continue being free. And I will also have to negotiate with him to get out alive."

Stanod approached the edge of the rock. He got as close as he got to the chokepoint and started talking to the traffickers.

"I speak on behalf of the Jedi Council! We have reached a stalemate." But Stanod knew that it was they who were at a bind, it was a mission that had been carried out with discretion would have ended well, so he had to offer something to the band boss. "Liamulis, I offer you a deal, if you order your men not to fire, the search order on you will be canceled for now."

"I will not fall into a trap, Jedi! "It was the deep voice of a Hutt "As soon as you leave the men will riddle you and your stupid Padawan."

That was exactly what Stanod wanted to hear. So he made his last move to finish the negotiation.

"Liamulis if you kill the Jedi Council will not send men to arrest you and judge you, they will send Jedis to kill you."

Stanod heard a lot of nervous noises in a language they didn't know. But because of the tone of voice, the hutt seemed nervous, Stanod's dawn seemed to have taken effect.

"Okay Jedi scum, you can leave Geonosis. But the next time you come I will not hesitate to end your lives." And then the windows from which they shot were closed and silence reigned in the chokepoint.

Master and Padawan returned to the collection point. There was an official ship waiting for them with everything ready to hold the Hutt, but they returned empty-handed. Not a word was said during the flight. During the entire journey Stanod only thought about all the irresponsibility that Kir had committed and how they were always about to die. But what bothered him most was his indifference. And it was in Coruscant where Stanod vented with Kir.

"What do you think about the mission?" Stand asked sarcastically.

"Look Master, I know I screwed it up, but we are alive, aren't we? So, let me rest please."

"No Kir, that was the last straw. I don't care about having a Padawan with bad aptitudes. I was never the best student, everything I have achieved has been based on my effort. But you don't care about anything, you don't care about the values of the Jedi Temple, you don't care about all the things I try to teach you and what is worse of all, I know that everything I'm telling you now is giving you a shit." Until now Stanod's tone had been very calm, but his voice was beginning to rise. "t seems that the only thing you really care about is talking to your stupid friend every night. Look, I don't know why the Council haven't expelled you out yet, but someone like you doesn't deserve to be a Jedi."

"As I recall, nobody asked me if I wanted to be a Jedi, Stanod." replied Kir.

And with those words that floated in the air, Master and Padawan did not cross a word again until their reunion in Kessel a year later. Shortly after Stanod requested the withdrawal of Kir as his Padawan.

And then, while meditating in Mustafar, after a year of the last mission together, Stanod heared it. "... Meet me in Geonosis." That was Kir's voice. He couldn't tell how much time he had spent meditating. Stanod came back to himself and was hungry, they must have spent many hours and now he had to leave for the planet where they had their last mission together. He took Kir's clothes and set off in search of the boy.


	8. Chapter eight: Go back to square one

**Chapter Eight: Go back to square one. **

It took Stanod just a few seconds to get into his ship. He wouldn't be late a third time. He lost Kir in Kessel and Mustafar, but he wouldn't lose him in Geonosis. Stanod saw that the fuel tank was already in half. He had enough to get to Geonosis, but there he should refuel.

Stanod was nervous. Something that was quite different to his calm and gentle personality. He didn't know it would be on the planet. In addition, it was the threat of death that the Hutt swore to him a year ago. Consequently, he should act with maximum discretion for those two reasons.

The trip passed quickly, and, in the ship, he continued his attempts to establish stable communication with Master Sunrider, but it was impossible. Nor was he focused enough to get in touch with her through the Force, he was completely alone on this mission. He also observed the clothes of his Padawan. For a while, he tried to understand what he had seen in the Sith Cave. Perhaps it was a Force warning about an approaching danger. Or maybe it was just a dark side trick to confuse him. But those clothes were real, although Kir's body didn't seem real. There was also the fact that he disappeared after leaving the Cave. All those questions made Stanod's attempts at concentration impossible.

When the Jedi's ship approached the atmosphere of Geonosis, a chill ran through his entire body. It was the Force trying to warn him, something big was coming to him. Something that no other Jedi had faced, and with a little dexterity, would ever face.

Choosing a point to begin the search was complicated, so Stanod relied on his intuition and approached the lair of people traffickers. He was as stealthy as he could, but when he landed, he realized that all that stealth had been useless, because after performing a scan of large life forms with the device of his ship, Stanod saw that the results were negative: in a radius of a big size there was no life far beyond insects and little pests. That bothered Stanod quite a bit, as it meant that the traffickers were no longer in Geonosis, but it also meant that Kir was not in that area.

But his intuition told him that he should inspect the area. There was something that made no sense, there could not be so few ways of life in the area. It was as if a death miasma had passed through and taken everything away, and in part his intuition did not lie to him. He moved through the area with the same care and stealth that would have had if an enemy was waiting on the other side of the corner.

He advanced until he soon arrived at the entrance of the hideout of the traffickers. A feeling of tension came from inside, a stench of death and suffering. Stanod also felt something strange, or better said, he felt nothing. Inside the den there was no contact with the Force. In all places of the universe, Stanod was able to feel the Force flowing in the place, but there was nothing there. Even so, Stanod entered bravely to soon encounter the first traces of the disaster.

A few meters near the entrance Stanod got into two corpses. They were two Jedi. Master and Padawan. Stanod swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment. He did not know them, and it did not sound like having crossed paths with them in the Jedi Temple. He tried to feel something, but it was impossible, those bodies had no trace of the Force. Even on a rock you could feel more. He inspected the bodies and they had died recently and according to the mission report that the Master had on him, they had been sent to stop the trafficker, but it was not the band that ended their lives. Then, Stanod understood everything. He understood that Kir almost killed him in Kessel by cutting off his bond with the Force. Kir forgave his life, but he didn't do that with these two poor Jedis. Somewhere in the den there was a creature that fed itself with the connection with the Force of living creatures and sucked it until it ended their lives. That creature had been Kir, but Stanod knew that Kir was no longer in the world of the living and he knew that the way to fight him would be different from any fight he had had before.

Stanod carried the bodies of the Jedis and left them near his ship. There he considered a plan and once he reached a conclusion, he sent a message to Master Sunirder. Stanod didn't have time to wait for reinforcements, he had to act fast. He hadn't been able to save Kir, but he certainly wouldn't let the wave of death spread. He prepared himself and with the same decision that the first time, he returned inside the hideout. As he entered, he found more and more dead bodies. Those were the bodies of the traffickers who once attacked him and Kir. And in the same way as the two bodies that were at the entrance Stanod found no trace of the Force.

His heart beat quickly, all his senses were alert, but he still felt fear. He did not let it take hold of him but at every step he took, the fear became more and more intense. Soon he would reach the Hutt's quarters and there, he knew that he would face the creature, it was written in the Force, the same way that he knew how everything would end for him.

The doors of the room of the Hutt were engraved with messages that Stanod translated as "Where the fool brave dare", ironic. With a hand movement he opened the doors, it was no such a big deal. The interior smelled like a swamp of Dagobah. It was nasty and dark. There were a couple of empty cages, there, the trafficker had to lock his personal slaves. And near the only window in the room was the corpse of the Hutt, and above him a creature as unpleasant as the situation in which Stanod was.

The creature in question looked like a round meat mass. He had little legs and his spine was marked on something that looked like an arched back. The creature was no more than a meter high. The arms looked human, but they ended in some claws that were anchored to the Hutt's back. The mass seemed to be breathing slowly, it seemed that it was difficult to do so, but it was draining the connection that the Hutt, who was still alive but dying, had with the Force.

On one side of the mass, which also had no connection with the Force, Stanod saw with little clarity what looked like Kir's face. It seemed to be under the skin, and it moved as if it was trying to escape from inside. Stanod lit his lightsaber and turned firmly to the creature. He knew that reasoning with something like that would be almost impossible.

"Get away from the Hutt's body and let me take you to Coruscant!" the creature seemed to be ignoring Stand's screams "If you resist, I will treat you as a hostile prisoner and I will not hesitate to kill you."

At that moment the creature stopped draining the Hutt, who seemed to have already died. There was a red eye in the middle of the mass and it stared at Stanod. It didn't seem like he was going to make any sudden movements. Stanod also noticed that the creature had no mouth.

"Do you think you can kill me? Do you think you'll kill me? What is not alive cannot die." The voice seemed to be sounding inside Stanod's head. He felt like the creature was searching in his mind for some painful memory, something that would lower his guard. "I see you're well protected. I'm looking forward to make you mine." The creature did not emit any connection with the Force but was still using Sith tricks with him.

"I will never be yours and you will never take anyone!" Screamed Stanod.

With a quick movement, he jumped a few centimeters near the mass. With his blue lightsaber, he began to strike rapid hits in areas that looked like vital points. But with every hit Stanod threw, the creature quickly recovered. The burns healed almost instantly and little by little the attacks of the Jedi were losing intensity until he had to stop get his breath back.

"I think this is my turn now. Little by little you will stop feeling until you are gone forever. You will be one of my first victims with a great connection with the Force. You will be among the first, but soon it will be soon it will be the entire Galaxy." And that way the creature began to drain the connection Stanod had with the Force.

"Oh, I don't think that ever happens " Said Stanod inwardly.

And as if he were going to take a bath in the lakes of Naboo, Stanod threw himself against the creature. It was still draining his connection, but at that moment Stanod stopped resisting, on the contrary, the Jedi began throwing waves of Force against the creature. Each wave was more painful than the previous one and the creature began to be overwhelmed by the amount of power it had to drain. Stanod proactively lost his connection with the Force and consequently he lost his life in that guard of human traffickers. Stanod didn't know for sure if that would work, but he did know that he would die the same way in that room, why not try? Why not try to give Kir a last chance? The Jedi with that act of bravery managed to end and kill the draining creature.

Stanod not only sacrificed himself for the welfare of the entire universe, he sacrificed himself especially for Kir. He felt that in the past he had failed him as a Master, and he owed him one last favor. The boy was no longer in the world of the living but part of him was still in the depths of the creature. Stanod released that small part and let her roam free through the galaxy. And in the same way that if you pay attention the echoes of the creature can still be heard deep in some places of the galaxy, you can also hear the laughter from Kir and Camille.


End file.
